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Fighting Back

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). She reminds us that Democrats “will stand up for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, pre-existing condition protections, and the peace of mind America’s seniors and hardworking families deserve.”

“This week, citizens around the country are getting ready to cast their ballots in the midterm elections. And they are looking for candidates that deliver on their promises. For many families the most important promise a candidate can make is the promise to support programs that keep families healthy and protect their financial security.”

“Let’s stand up for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, pre-existing condition protections, and the peace of mind America’s seniors and hardworking families deserve.”

After the ACA passed, finally forbidding insurers from discriminating against or denying coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions, the GOP spent eight years crusading to repeal the law, even forcing a government shutdown at one point to make their case. Last year, after 217 House Republicans voted for their terrible repeal bill to take away Americans’ health care, the effort failed by one vote in the Senate.

“Had Republicans succeeded, they would have devastated health care coverage in this country. Millions of Americans would have lost their coverage or been forced to pay more for it. Older Americans would have faced what the AARP called an ‘age tax,’ meaning they could be charged up to five times as much for coverage as younger ones. And protections for the 130 million people with pre-existing conditions would have been gutted. […]

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell this week admitted that if his party has the votes in Congress next year, they’ll try again to repeal the ACA altogether. And President Trump said the same thing last month.

Democrats have a different agenda for Congress – a Congress that works For The People, instead of a Congress obsessed with destroying Americans’ health care.

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Doug Jones of Alabama.

(Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) Delivers The Weekly Democratic Address)

I’ve made it a priority to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to expand access to quality, affordable health care to every family in Alabama and across the country. And while we’ve made great strides, like funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program for another 10 years, we’ve seen this President, his administration, and Republicans in Congress take steps to undermine our health insurance markets and put Americans at risk. […]

No law, including the Affordable Care Act, is perfect from the start. But instead of sabotage, we need solutions. With your help, we can keep this important issue at the top of the agenda. Together, our voices can drive the national conversation around health care and get us back on track to ensure quality, affordable care for all Americans.

Every day, I hear from my constituents about the sense of worry, frustration and disappointment they feel when they see the consequences of an Administration that has not been held accountable to the people, with policies that tear families apart and go against the values at our country’s core. All the while, the Republican Congress has failed to fulfill its Constitutional duty to ensure that our laws and government are working for the American people.

“I share that same sense of frustration and anger. It is the responsibility of Congress to act as a check and balance to the Administration of the day – that is fundamental to our democracy. It is a responsibility that the Republican Majority has abdicated, choosing instead only to block and deflect on behalf of President Trump and his Administration. […]

Our country is in the midst of a reckoning where those in power who abuse their position and take advantage of others they perceive as weaker than themselves are being forced to answer for their behavior and face the accountability that has been missing for too long and for too many. I am glad Dr. Blasey Ford came forward to tell her truth, and I believe that time is running out for those who would rather such brave voices remain silent. Whether that is President Trump or anyone else who abuses their position of power, there must be justice and real consequences for those who violate our laws.

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Patty Murray of Washington State.

(Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) Delivers Weekly Democratic Address)

“Like so many women and men across the country, I watched Dr. Ford testify on Thursday with tears in my eyes. Her courage is truly incredible—and she is an inspiration to women, girls, and sexual assault survivors across the country. Now that we have seen Dr. Ford share her experience so bravely and vividly, and we have heard what Judge Kavanaugh has to say regarding just one of the allegations he faces, the eyes of the nation are on this Supreme Court nomination—and the Republicans who control the Senate face a few very simple, but absolutely critical questions. Is the United States Senate a place where women are listened to, heard, and respected?”

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez of New York.

(Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Small Business Committee and the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, delivered the Weekly Democratic Address in English and Spanish.)

“Puerto Ricans are American citizens. They serve in our military. They shed blood in our wars. They have died for our freedoms. And, yet, in Puerto Rico’s darkest hour, this Administration failed them.

“That is wrong and the Administration must be held accountable. So far, Congressional Republicans have failed to live up to their constitutional responsibility of exercising oversight regarding the failures of the disaster response.

“We need answers. That is why I have authored legislation creating a 9/11 style Commission to investigate the response to Maria. I have also introduced ‘The COUNT Act’, which will establish federal procedures for death tolls after disasters strike.

“A year after Maria, the American people deserve to know what happened to their fellow citizens in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. And, as the hard road of recovery begins for the communities devastated by Hurricane Florence, we can only pray this Administration has learned from their mistakes. We can never let what happened after Maria happen again.

The Democratic Leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi, held a press conference on Thursday to discuss the preparations for Hurricane Florence and the Trump Administration’s incompetent response to hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands last year:

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi was joined by Small Business Committee Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett for a Press Conference to discuss the new threats to communities from Hurricane Florence and the need for renewed action and accountability for the federal hurricane recovery response in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Nancy Pelosi: “We owe the communities facing Hurricane Florence a solemn pledge: in these critical months of recovery to come, the government will do everything it can to save lives and make them whole – the promises we owe every American facing disaster.

But sadly that promise was not kept for our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.[…]

The suffering endured by our fellow Americans over the past year has been a challenge to the conscience of our nation, yet Trump tweeted yesterday that the death toll of 3,000 people, 3,000 Americans, was made up to discredit his Presidency.

Think about that. Pray over that. Think of the people who are affected by that.

The attitude from the Administration and from the Republican Congress is unacceptable. We have a moral obligation to do better, not only to finish the job in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but to prevent the same type of inadequate response from ever happening again.”

(The video and transcript of the press conference is below the Weekly Democratic Party Address, which was delivered by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont)

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas.

(Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas, a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. In this week’s address, Doggett highlights Republicans’ latest assault on protections for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions, in contrast to Democrats’ agenda to lower health care costs and prescription drug prices For The People. )

“This week, in a United States District courtroom in Fort Worth, a Texas Republican relied upon their tax changes to demand termination of any protection for Americans who have a pre-existing medical condition. The Trump Administration agreed, refusing to defend this current, vital safeguard upon which 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions rely. […]

“The best way to guarantee that we strengthen health care and protect pre-existing condition coverage – the best way to strengthen and change the law for the better – is to change the lawmakers. To have a Congress that puts the needs of families ahead of the special interests.

“Ensure you make your voice heard. Together, we can stop the undermining of our health care security.

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

(Ahead of Labor Day, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. Brown called for policies to raise wages and benefits for American workers, make it easier for workers to save for retirement, give workers more power in their workplaces, and encourage companies to invest in workers. Brown highlighted that while most of the richest Americans and companies that ship jobs overseas were able to gain tax breaks through the GOP’s tax bill last year, American workers largely are still seeing stagnant wages and are looking for promised relief for the middle class.)

American workers are our greatest asset; they are the engine behind our nation’s success for generations – whether they punch a time sheet or make a salary or earn tips. Whether they work behind a desk or a restaurant counter, on a factory floor, on a construction site, or in a hospital.

Yet for too many of these workers, their hard work doesn’t pay off. Corporate profits are up. Executive salaries have gone up dramatically. Stock prices have gone up. Workers are ever more productive. But wages have barely budged. In fact, under this administration, wages have actually declined. […]

To the millions of American workers working too many hours for too little pay, let me tell you, you aren’t invisible to me, you are not invisible to Democratic officeholders in this country.

We see you. We hear you. We fight for you.

We fight for paid family leave. We fight for sick leave. We fight for overtime pay. We fight to give workers a say on the job. We fight to save America’s pensions. We fight for those small businesses that are helping in our pension system. We want to make it easy for everyone to save for retirement.

We work to encourage companies to invest in their greatest asset – you, the American worker. That’s what Democrats fight for on Labor Day. That’s what we’ll fight for tomorrow. That’s what we’ll fight for the rest of the year and next year too, every day throughout the year. Happy Labor Day to America’s great workforce – the American worker. Thank you so much.”

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD).

(Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. In this week’s address, Cummings highlights the immediate need for Congress to enact oversight as a check to the rampant culture of corruption in the Trump Administration, and ensure that Washington works For the People.)

This has been a shocking and disgraceful week for our nation – one that will tarnish our history books for generations.

This should be a moment for Congress to keep the most powerful government in the world accountable to its citizens. This should be a moment for Congress to demonstrate that the White House is no refuge for corruption.

[Republicans] are not acting as an effective check on the Executive Branch. To the contrary, they are aiding and abetting the Administration by turning a blind eye to its rampant corruption.

They have been actively interfering, pushing conspiracy theories, attacking our law enforcement agencies, and walling off the White House from Congressional scrutiny.

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